This invention relates to a portable exercising apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus for exercising the upper anatomy including the chest, arms, shoulders and back.
It is well recognized that the human body requires a sufficient amount of proper exercise for stimulation and improvement of the cardiovascular system necessary for the maintenance of good health. In this regard, numerous exercising devices have been designed to achieve this goal. Some of the well known types of exercising devices employ weights which are lifted in a prescribed manner through a range of motion for exercising a particular set of muscles. Other well known types of exercising devices employ mechanisms, such as springs or rubber bands, to produce elastic resistance to movement in a particular direction. Still other well known types of exercising devices utilize a friction mechanism which generates a resistance proportional to relative movement of various components of the exercising device.
The above described devices are often directed to exercising and strengthening specific muscle groups. However, these devices are not readily adaptable to provide a portable exercise device which is simple to operate and effective for exercising all of the muscles of the upper anatomy. For example, prior art exercising devices for exercising the upper anatomy include U.S. Pat. No. Re 23,744 disclosing a pair of pivotal arms having a friction mechanism pivotally coupling a pair of extension arms. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,480 discloses a plunger type mechanism which utilizes a frictional resistance mechanism. Likewise, a variation of the multi-spring chest expander is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,591. While these and similar exercising devices generally exercise the muscle groups of the upper anatomy, none of these devices adequately exercise all of the muscle groups of the upper anatomy including the chest, shoulders, back and arms. Thus, there is a need to provide an exercising device which is compact, lightweight, simple to use and which operates in a manner to exercise all of the muscle groups of the upper anatomy.
In accordance with the present invention, an exercising device is provided which is particularly adapted for exercising the upper anatomy in a fly-type motion, whereby the user positions his or her forearms and elbows against a grip assembly and urges his or her elbows together against the resistance of the exercising device. The portable exercise device includes a slide assembly having a pair of cooperating curved slides and a rack formed on each of the slides. A spring-biased elastic resistance mechanism having a pinion is interdisposed between the cooperating slides to generate resistance to relative movement of the slides. The resistance mechanism further includes a brake disc assembly in combination with a clutch assembly for providing frictional resistance in a single direction. A grip assembly including a pair of arms pivotally connected at opposite ends of the cooperating slides are positionable between a stowed position for storing and transporting the device, and an extended position for placing the user's arms in the appropriate position for performing the fly type exercise as heretofore described.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a compact, portable, lightweight exercising device. As presently preferred, the exercising device is configured to enable a user to perform fly-type exercises for working the muscle grips of the upper anatomy. However, the exercising device may also be configured for other ranges of motion to exercise other muscle groups, such as biceps curls, leg curls and thigh crunches.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an exercising apparatus which is anatomically and ergonomically designed for the exercise to be performed such that it is simple and safe to use by able-bodied individuals and disabled individuals without the assistance of others.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a portable exercising apparatus which is readily adaptable to a wide range of individuals, including children, women and men.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an exercise device which utilizes an adjustable resistance mechanism in which the load is easily adjustable from a low resistance/high repetition aerobic mode to a high load/low repetition muscle building, anearobic mode.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a resistance mechanism which employs an elastic resistance mechanism and a frictional resistance mechanism having a clutch assembly for providing a quiet, smoothly operating resistance mechanism for creating constant resistance independent of the rate of loading.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an exercising apparatus which may be stowed in a compact arrangement for facilitating storage and transportation of the device.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.